Morris Minor Owners Club

Ah but we all have to learn - I did. Yes sometimes we make mistakes - no better way to learn!

I may be wrong, but it does seem that there is some strange attitude prevalent that everyone who owns a classic car must be a willing/competent tinkerer. This is very saddening. There are those of us who like to limit our enjoyment of our classic cars to the driving of them. I don't feel that we should be made to feel less worthy as owners of such vehicles simply because we would rather pay somebody with years of training and experience to fix our cars for us.

And as for the competence of my mechanic, which seems to be in doubt, all I will say is that my own lack of knowledge has probably painted the story in a bad light as I cannot say what he did or didn't do as I don't remember exactly what he told me word for word, and I didn't understand it well enough in the first place to grasp it. He and the other employess of his garage are respected locally for the good work they do on both classic and modern cars, and I've had years of excellent service from this garage. How much I pay this place for the work they do is between myself and them, and not for anyone else to comment on. Trust me, I'd be the first to complain if I thought I was being ripped off! I don't think it fair to delve any further into this.

I really hope that when I do get around to completing a car maintenance course next year, I might gain more respect on this board, as it certainly seems like my lack of mechanical knowledge is indicative of my being a simpleton. At least, that's how it feels to me right now.

This is also the reason I'm wary of attending any local branch meetings, as I don't want to meet people who would see my inability to do any form of maintenance other than topping up the oil and the water as something to be ashamed of.

Because of the turn this topic has taken, I will not be posting any more comments in it, although I will be re-reading it to better absorb some of the more helpful suggestions. Thankyou all for the help.

Sorry if anything I said offended you Furrtiv, as that wasn't my intention.

Furrtiv, please don't be offended. We all start learning sometime, and I'm only a little way down the road myself.

I am and engineer by trade and inclination, though, so that helps me, but my deeply non-techie Wifey has been learning the basic weekly checks and looking after her Trav. She checked the level of the brake fluid the other day

So, it can be done, but I understand how you feel.

Oh, and ignore BMC, he's mostly harmless. A little blunt, but harmless.

I might gain more respect on this board

You have my respect. Knowing when you don't know something is often more important than knowing the something. (Was I the only one who knew what Donald Rumsfeld was on about?)

As for paying a man (sorry, person) to do it, I'm with you on that one too; even when I know what needs doing, it doesn't necessarily mean I want to do it myself.

Go on the course, and carry on deciding when you want to do it yourself and when to pay someone.

Furrtiv wrote:I may be wrong, but it does seem that there is some strange attitude prevalent that everyone who owns a classic car must be a willing/competent tinkerer...

I really hope that when I do get around to completing a car maintenance course next year, I might gain more respect on this board, as it certainly seems like my lack of mechanical knowledge is indicative of my being a simpleton. At least, that's how it feels to me right now.

This is also the reason I'm wary of attending any local branch meetings, as I don't want to meet people who would see my inability to do any form of maintenance other than topping up the oil and the water as something to be ashamed of.

Hear hear to all the comments above. You're entirely welcome here, whether a qualified car mechanic or engineer or somebody who loves the cars and isn't necessarily interested in learning how to build an engine. A lot of the comments can be brusque, and at times pretty hurtful. Stick with it - it doesn't take long to learn who is talking sense and trying to help.
That (I'm paranoid at the moment) was NOT directed at anybody in particular btw, and no, I wasn't having a go.

Furtive, you use your traveller every day - there are those here (myself included) who haven’t driven their’s for months and even more who only drive in the summer months. So I think a disrespectful raspberry is called for. Keep up the good work - in my book respect is due to those who maintain the good name of the marque by regular use of their cars. I'm glad you have found a mechanic who is sympathetic and looks after your car. Keep up the good work!!
By the way I like your artwork and suddenly I have found myself looking out for bouncy castles

Good luck with the car maintenance course - I did suggest that a while back. And yes - I am 'blunt' at times, especially if I have had a bad day ! - but I hope quite helpful too. If you do get some compression check figures - do post them up here and we can try to figure out from them what's going on.